McCue makes managerial changes at Paddy Power

McCue makes managerial changes at Paddy Power

Paddy Power’s incoming chief executive has created a new department and promoted three fellow internal candidates to senior managerial positions ahead of his taking over in January.

Andy McCue begins his new role at the start of 2015, and has announced that Peter O’Donovan, Johnny Hartnett and Christian Woolfenden will each take on new positions at the same time.

O’Donovan, as chief product officer, will head a newly-created product function, which brings together the technology and product development teams across Paddy Power and Cayetano in Bulgaria. The current managing director of online will coordinate global product innovation, with the technology department of Sportsbet, the group’s Australian business, having a dotted reporting line into him.

Hartnett replaces O’Donovan as managing director of online, with responsibility for Paddypower.com and Paddypower.it, together with Dial-a-Bet and customer operations. Hartnett has been director of operations at Paddy Power since January, and was previously executive director at Sportsbet for three years.

Woolfenden has been appointed to replace McCue as managing director, retail (UK & Ireland), leaving his post of the last three years as global marketing director. Woolfenden previously worked for Bacardi and Procter & Gamble in branding, marketing and finance roles.

“These appointments reflect a strategic emphasis on customer and product," McCue said. "I am delighted to be filling these positions with high calibre individuals with a proven track record of success in the group.”

McCue was announced as chief executive designate in September and will replace Patrick Kennedy. McCue has worked for the company since 2006 and has held the managing director, UK retail position since 2009, with the Ireland division coming under his direction last year.